Moonbeam: Horses presents a beautiful clash of proto-punk musical punch and acute literary sensibilities, rendering it one of the most impressive debuts in rock history.

#99

Robert Wyatt – ROCK BOTTOM (1974)

Total Points = 342.84

Appeared on 7 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: nicolas (#2), Mark Propp (#4)

nicolas: Listening to this record is like taking a walk under the sea and realizing you can breathe. Then you enter another world, with this strange, uterine voice as a guide. Of course like any masterpiece, there's the legend behind, the fall, the hospital, the writing. Well, the legend is partially wrong because it turns out most of the songs were written in italy before Wyatt's accident. But the performng took place after that, that's why this very progressive album never falls in the traps of progressive music. It is very personal and full of emotions, from sadness to love and to irony.

#98

Pearl Jam – TEN (1991)

Total Points = 344.79

Appeared on 6 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Rendle (#1), Anthony (#2)

Anthony:Like a few of my other favorite albums, Ten’s place on my list owes a lot to nostalgia; I was a nine year-old kid vacationing with family in Seattle when it was released in 1991, and it was the first CD that I ever owned. Having grown up with this album, it's something that I don't listen to regularly, but I don't need to - 16 years has tattooed it onto my musical conscience; I know every lyric, every note (vocal and musical), every high-hat hit and cymbal crash - every subtle nuance of the recording. But even though it's always with me in a way, hitting play or dropping the needle still brings the same excitement now that it did when I was 10. Because nostalgia plays a huge role with this album in particular, I suppose I’d feel uncomfortable with this pick if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a damn good record - and doing my best to think critically here, one could make the argument that it's maybe the best album that came out of Seattle in the early ‘90s. Nevermind may get all the press (and deservedly so), but Ten might have as many good moments. When you consider the singles it generated: "Jeremy", "Alive", "Once", "Even Flow", and other highlights such as the underrated gem “Black”, the gorgeous “Oceans” (which to me will always be the first song on Side B) and the cathartic closer “Release”, what you've got is a record that's packed to the gills with greatness. If Cobain’s and Vedder’s fortunes had been reversed, we’d probably be talking about this album a lot differently.

#97

Massive Attack – MEZZANINE (1998)

Total Points = 346.33

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Jacek (#7)

[no comments provided]

#96

Nirvana – UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK (1994)

Total Points = 348.57

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarck: Everyone knew Cobain could rock but many denied his sensitive side. At this concert, broadcast months before his suicide, Cobain wasn't just sensitive, he was tortured. Every song was downcast. No "Lithium", no "Smells Like Teen Spirit", no "Heart-Shaped Box" or "Rape Me", barely a "Come As You Are". Instead the show-stoppers were "Dumb", "Something in the Way", a very believable "All Apologies" and surprise covers of Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" and Ledbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". Cobain's love for indie groups like the Pixies, Sonic Youth and The Melvins was well documented. How many expected a Bowie song? And an obscure one at that, which was light years away from the Nirvana catalogue? In fact covers were the theme for the night, occupying half the setlist. Three tracks from the second Meat Puppets album were performed, during which Meat Puppets Cris and Curt Kirkwood joined the group onstage. All in all it was a fitting epitaph to Nirvana's brief reign. At first no one thought of it as an album. Only the Ledbelly cover was released on the B-Side of the Pennyroyal Tea single. But after Kurt's death the boys in the back realized how important of an event it really was.

#95

Björk – HOMOGENIC (1997)

Total Points = 351.26

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

Nicolas: For her third album, Björk achieved the perfect trip-hop album. Her songwriting, her voice, the string arrangements and beats, place her in my mind above the genre, towards the universal of pop music. And she gives everything she got to every song, and I like that.

Moonbeam: Phase 2 of Björk's career begins with Homogenic, which makes her previous material sound rather peurile in comparison. The travails of womanhood are blazed thoroughly with this record, and every emotion is stretched to its fullest potential.

#94

Smashin Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)

Total Points = 355.32

Appeared on 9 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Jonah (#5)

[no comments provided]

#93

The Replacements – LET IT BE (1984)

Total Points = 355.97

Appeared on 7 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Stammer (#1), Harold Wexler (#2)

Loophole:Everything a great rock record should be: Funny, irreverent, heartfelt, catchy.

#92

Lou Reed – TRANSFORMER (1972)

Total Points = 358.99

Appeared on 9 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: otisredding (#8)

nicolas:Lou Reed + Bowie, a great producer and two great songwriters, what are you asking for?

Moonbeam:An album definitive of the glam takeover of the 70s, Transformer sees Reed at his most depraved, melodic and vital.

Honorio:Lou Reed wasn’t merely a guest in English glam-rock party, in fact he was one of its main influences. Anyway he created the most definitive statement of the style (well, with valuable help from Bowie & Ronson). He came to England with his baggage full of memories of New York, of stories of transvestites and hustlers, of tales of NYC wild nightlife.

#91

LCD Soundsystem – SOUND OF SILVER (2007)

Total Points = 370.20

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: LonesomePanda (#10)

Slush:In about a year, this will probably be in the top 20. Try to walk with this with your headphones on and I dare you not to bust a Travolta move.

Moonbeam: While I had enjoyed the panache and intellectual foreplay of the eponymous debut record, I in no way expected the sequel to be so emotionally charged and viscerally vital to my being. Sound of Silver, indeed, is an album of many moments. As I have grown older, I have found that it is much more difficult for new music to galvanize my emotions into an uncontrollably fevered pitch. As such, I appreciate such moments much more now at my ripe age of 27. Reviewers are generally taught to strive to give an unbiased appraisal, but I'll be damned if it doesn't delight me to the tips of my toes that an album can generate such a rebirth of wide-eyed, teenage, blind fanaticism that I am rendered helplessly unable to muster any semblance of objectivity. "Sound of silver talk to me, makes you want to feel like a teenager. Until you remember the feelings of a real-live emotional teenager." Sorry James, no need to think again.

LonesomePanda: I came for the week-end but stayed for a year.

#90

The Flaming Lips – YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS (2002)

Total Points = 376.10

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarck: I never really caught on to the Soft Bulletin. It's a pleasant enough record. It just never gave me the acid-pop that I came for. Yoshimi, on the other hand, is bubblegun bliss. The Flaming Lips enlisted the help of Mercury Rev bassist Dave Fridmann to kaleidoshape their sound to stratospheric depths. It's the biggest sounding record the Lips' ever made, with Coyne's voice pushing through like a sedated adolescent interpreter. Though the whole album plays as one psychedelic trip standout tracks are "Do You Realize??", "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1", "Fight Test" (with royalties going to Cat Stevens for its unintentional lifting of "Father and Son") and "Are You a Hypnotist??" It's one of the most engrossing albums of the new millenium.

Honorio: “What is this? / Are you some kind of hypnotist?”. Bizarre, spacey, hallucinatory or eccentric are adjectives commonly used to describe The Flaming Lips music. They reached with this album the peak of his magical vision of the common things. “You realize the sun doesn’t go down / It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round”.

#89

Blur – PARKLIFE (1994)

Total Points = 384.81

Appeared on 8 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Toni (#2), Slush (#6)

Slush: I'm a pop whore and this is absolutely brilliant pop. I'm not British, so it's not the fact that it was a zeitgeist album, it's more that it's just brilliant, beautiful pop music.

HonorioBlur decided to vindicate proudly the glorious past of British music without being overtly revivalists, using the Kinks/Jam/Madness musical identities as the ground from where they built a new sound using the wry lyrics of Albarn and the versatility of the band. “Parklife” was its peak and as the archetypical album of nineties Brit-Pop.

#88

Elvis Costello – MY AIM IS TRUE (1977)

Total Points = 387.71

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarck: Sometimes I find it strange that people consider this a "punk" debut. For one thing, Costello's backing band isn't the Attractions, it's the group that went on to become Huey Lewis and the News. Another thing is that his lyrics aren't half as nihilistic as his UK punk contemporaries. Sure they cut with carefully crafted cynicism, but it's way too playful to be taken seriously. There's no desperation here. Just a smartass rocker having fun with some snappy tunes. "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives" are the obvious standouts.

#87

Otis Redding – OTIS BLUE: OTIS REDDING SINGS SOUL (1965)

Total Points = 393.27

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: David (#10)

jonmarck: Redding must have been the tackiest soul singer, and even he knew it. That's probably why he complained about having to sing "Satisfaction". But even he could turn the stickiest schlock into heartfelt yearning. This album also includes a pre-Aretha "Repect" and ginormous single "I've Been Loving You Too Long". It also has a whack-load of covers: "My Girl", "Down in the Valley", "Change is Gonna Come", "Wonderful World"... Few are essential but all are pleasant and combined, form Redding's strongest collection.

Honorio: Exactly, “Otis Blue” and “Otis Redding Sings Soul”. A self-explanatory title if there’s one. We have one of the saddest and beautiful ballads ever (“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” or “A Change Is Gonna Come”) and we have up-tempo numbers (“Respect”, “Satisfaction”, “Shake”). And Otis sang every word and every verse putting all his soul on it.

#86

The White Stripes – WHITE BLOOD CELLS (2001)

Total Points = 404.79

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarck: This is what I hate about mainstream audiences. Put out two decent blues/country/garage rock albums and no one cares. Hire someone to make a music video out of Lego and all of a sudden you're hot shit. It's a great album, particularly the sweetheart ditties "Hotel Yorba" and "We're Going to be Friends" but it makes you wonder what they'd be like if they just hired Michel Gondry at the start.

#85

Massive Attack – BLUE LINES (1991)

Total Points = 406.14

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

Honorio: Programmed rhythms and orchestral arrangements. Scratching and sampling but also playing. Shara Nelson as the soul singer, Horace Andy as the reggae singer and Tricky and the band members as unconventional rappers. A tasty delicacy cooked using a lot of juicy ingredients (dub, house, hip-hop, deep reggae, soul) that created a new flavour for the 90s.

#84

Stevie Wonder – SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE (1976)

Total Points = 408.27

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

Moonbeam: Songs in the Key of Life is the sprawling embodiment of soul music, and its uplifting messages and pointed social commentary sound surely enough like a real panacea. Moreso than any other album, this is one I would recommend to anyone.

nicolas: Stevie had no problem filling a double LP in the mid '70s, and he went in all directions from jazz rock to latin, from moving ballads to fantastic dance tunes like the brilliant Another Star, from love songs to social commentaries. The masterpiece of a genius.

#83

The White Stripes – ELEPHANT (2003)

Total Points = 411.50

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarck: The most playful of the Stripes' albums, Elephant sees Jack White fooling around with octave pedals, pre-1960's recording equipment and Bacharach tunes. Though this album will always be associated with the monster hit "Seven Nation Army", "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medecine", "Well It's True That we Love one Another", "In the Cold, Cold Night" are as droll as they are sweet.

#82

Pavement – CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN (1994)

Total Points = 412.60

Appeared on 9 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Schwah (#1), John (#6)

Schwah: When I said "perfect" during the 90's poll, I meant it. Even putatively throw-away numbers like "5/4 = Unity" or "Hit the Plane Down" have their delights and importance in the context of the album. I stand by my comments from the 90's poll. As for my exegesis on the lyrics from the Survivor posts, Malkmus would be the first to reject my readings as nonsense. Is he singing "Career! Career!" or "Korea! Korea!"? The answer most likely is: he's singing both at the same time. Or more precisely: he's singing whichever you want him to be singing at the moment.

jonmarck: This no-nonsense sophomore placed the Band even deeper in their own mythology. References to moonshine, barn dances and the Old South float through on a sea of mandolins, piano and upper register harmonies. In the rock and roll world The Band stood out like Martians. So technologically-averse were they that they had trouble even organizing themselves into a suitable pose for the cover shot. Good thing Robertson was streetwise enough to realize the appeal of songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "Up on Cripple Creek", "Across the Great Divide", "Unfaithful Servant", "Across the Great Divide" and "King Harvest Has Surely Come". Helm, on the other hand, was so entrenched in his 1950's approach that he believed "Rag Mama Rag" to be the best choice for a lead single because it was so danceable.

Loophole: As I’ve commented before on this forum, I did a 180 degree turn on this album in my thirties. Hated it before. Love it now.

#79

Michael Jackson – THRILLER (1982)

Total Points = 421.60

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Georgie (#5), Neoptolemos (#8)

Neoptolemos: The best-selling album of all-time for a reason, it's just so much fun. In fact, I'm going to name this the most fun album ever.

Honorio: When Jackson was recording “Thriller” maybe he dreamed of making the best-selling album in history (he eventually sold more than 100 millions), but probably he didn’t expect making a critics favourite. In fact the critics initially resisted (Village Voice put “Thriller” at #15 of 1982) but surrendered to evidences as solid as “Billie Jean” (Village Voice put again “Thriller” in the lists of 1983, this time at #1).

#78

Sex Pistols – NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE’S THE SEX PISTOLS (1977)

Total Points = 425.28

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

Honorio: Few albums supposed a milestone like this one, marking a line between before and after in pop music history and turning into outdated all that came before. But there’s not only about historical importance, it’s about rage, about confrontation, about a great set of songs played furiously but with an undeniable gift and sung with impoliteness, vitriol and sarcasm by Johnny Rotten.

#77

Public Enemy – IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK (1988)

Total Points = 429.07

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: otisredding (#4)

Loophole: The soundtrack of my life, 1989-1990. Great rhymes. Great power.

#76

Belle and Sebastian – IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER (1996)

Total Points = 429.42

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: pop elton (#9)

Honorio: A Scottish band commanded by Stuart Murdoch that brought back the sensitivity and fragility to 90s indie pop, brought back beauty and humour to grunge times, brought influences like Nick Drake or Burt Bacharach not so usual till then and conquered the bedroom and the heart of many young people with the smart but heartfelt songs from “If You’re Feeling Sinister”.

#75

Van Morrison – MOONDANCE (1971)

Total Points = 431.57

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

Honorio: “Astral Weeks” got all the acclaim but “Moondance” is my favourite. And both albums couldn’t have been more different. The improvised and free-form “Astral Weeks” gave place to the meticulously arranged and root-based “Moondance”, with traces of soul, blues and even swing. But both albums have similar curative effects, the perfect prescription for healing your tired and damaged ears.

[b[Loophole[/b]Worth it just for Marc Ribot’s guitar playing. Good with whiskey.

HonorioWaits continued his particular getaway from the smoky jazz that began with “Swordfishtrombones” broadening his musical spectrum. Banjos, marimbas, trombones, weird percussions. Tarantella, country, folk, tango, Weill-style interwar period Cabaret, Beefheart-style Martian blues, Springsteen-style power ballads. And of course, the personal and indefinable Waits style.

NicolasTom Waits made a big career move with Swordfishtrombones. With Rain Dogs, he goes even further in his exploration of everything that made American music: country, jazz, blues, immigrants music from all over Europe. He knows how to alternate chaotic (the three first songs) and more conventional (his moving ballads like Time). And the lyrics make him to my mind the equal of the Boss and Dylan.

#72

Nick Drake – FIVE LEAVES LEFT (1969)

Total Points = 458.44

Appeared on 9 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: pop elton (#3), LonesomePanda (#4)

[no comments provided]

#71

Pink Floyd – WISH YOU WERE HERE (1975)

Total Points = 464.37

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Juan (#7)

Honorio“The child is grown / the dream is gone” sang Gilmour in “Comfortably Numb”. But when I hear this album I still recognize in me the child playing on air imaginary drums and guitars while listening in the bedroom of my neighbour Vicen the records of his older brother. It hardly matters that the last song is overtly self-indulgent, the child is still here.

jonmarckI always found Dark Side of the Moon highly overrated. The songs never caught me. They seemed too willing to drift away on a sea of overthought chord progressions and improvised jams than connect with the audience. On the other hand I find Wish You Were Here much more natural. Don't ask why. I'm sure to the rabid fanbase both are equally tuneful. The emotion just seems more felt on the title track, "Have a Cigar" and the "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" suite than anything on Dark Side. It's like this time it was coming from the heart rather than just the head. Perhaps it's because most of the album was about Floyd's wayward ex-frontman Syd Barrett. According to varying accounts Barrett actually turned up at the studio after a five year separation from the group. His head was shaved and he had put on so much weight that the band did not recognize him. He jumped on a nearby couch and began compulsively brushing his teeth. When Waters finally realized it was Barrett he was brought to tears. Barrett asked if there was anything he could add to the album and the band was forced to tell him the album was nearly done and they wouldn't be needing his help any more.

#70

Wilco – YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT (2002)

Total Points = 466.29

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Slush (#2)

Slush:For me, this is the most important album of the new millennium. It took our dissolved world and made music out of it that comforted, soothed and mourned as any great album should. Plus, "Pot Kettle Black" is a personal favorite song.

Honorio:Is there an unwritten rule about a logical progression of introducing the arrangements? If it exists, Wilco decided to ignore it. The first verse of the first song features basically organ and bass, the second acoustic guitar, the third a weird drum pattern and noises, the fourth shakers and a strange scratched instrument, the fifth “normal” drumming and distorted guitar and the sixth background noises. And why not?

Anthony:Other than "Motion Picture Soundtrack" on Kid A, this album features the best album closer of this decade - "Reservations". A beautiful and haunting song to finish a brilliant record.

#69

Pavement – SLANTED AND ENCHANTED (1992)

Total Points = 475.18

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: EdAmes (#1), Stammer (#7)

[no comments provided]

#68

Prince – SIGN O’ THE TIMES (1987)

Total Points = 477.19

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Moonbeam (#3)

HonorioA succulent banquet of contemporary music, displaying a varied and wide amount of delicacies cooked with inventiveness, craft and inspiration. A celebration of music while having its feet on the ground, dealing with drugs, AIDS and social issues. There was at the time accusations of betraying his black roots. Unfairly. It was black music, it was white music, it was multi-coloured music.

NicolasA double album is a hard thing to do. You've gotta have a big load of good songs. That was never the problem with Prince. From the funkiest to the rockiest, every shade is there with equal talent.

MoonbeamMoreso than any other album, Sign o' the Times showcases the mind-boggling breadth of Prince's artistic palette. Its greatest achievement, however, is that in spite of its dizzying diversity and sprawling length, the album is still cohesive.

#67

Oasis – (WHAT’S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (1995)

Total Points = 482.02

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Anthony (#7)

Anthony: If there was ever an album that played like a greatest hits without actually being one, Morning Glory would be it. 10 songs (if you subtract the two 40-second instrumental tracks); six of which were singles, while the four remaining all had potential (and don’t forget the b-side “Acquiesce”, which eventually became a radio single, or the b-side “The Masterplan”, a fan favorite.) During 1995/96, Oasis were a band at their peak, due in large part to leader Noel Gallagher, a songwriter whose creativity and ego raced past each other to startling heights. This album was the last one made where Noel, his brother Liam, and the rest of the band put music above their collective ego, and it remains their crowning achievement.

#66

Elvis Costello – THIS YEAR’S MODEL (1978)

Total Points = 486.79

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: (did not appear in any individual top ten)

jonmarckThe newly formed Attractions would prove Costello's most exciting backing group. The ideas are his but the songs are Steve Nieve and Bruce Thomas', especially "Pump it Up" and "Radio Radio". With punk snarl and Buddy Holly image intact Costello was set to take America (particularly SNL and Steven Stills) by storm.

Honorio“I don’t wanna kiss you / I don’t wanna touch”. Two verses almost whispered preceding the entrance of the band as a buffalo stampede in “No Action”. The Attractions proved to be the perfect backing band for Elvis Costello and together made the best definition possible of late 70s power-pop: wry lyrics, modernity (in a good sense), smart song-writing, and, of course, powerful playing.

#65

The Kinks – THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (1968)

Total Points = 488.26

Appeared on 10 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Miguel (#6), Loophole (#7)

LoopholeThis is an underrated masterpiece. Great melodies. Interesting lyrics. No filler.

#64

The Doors – THE DOORS (1967)

Total Points = 500.02

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Giuseppe (#8)

MoonbeamThis dazzling debut album lives up to its immense legend, and while it would eventually be bettered by L.A. Woman, it stands as their most iconic and definitive record.

#63

Paul Simon – GRACELAND (1967)

Total Points = 500.19

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Miguel (#4), David (#7)

[no comments provided]

#62

John Lennon – PLASTIC ONO BAND (1970)

Total Points = 509.14

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: David (#1), Henrik (#2)

[no comments provided]

#61

PJ Harvey – TO BRING YOU MY LOVE (1995)

Total Points = 520.21

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Henrik (#6)

HonorioPolly Jean diminished a little the rawness and directness of her previous works and transformed herself into a glamorous, oblique, theatrical and sophisticated diva. And not losing the edge along the way, replacing the explicit representation of female sexual desires by no less disturbing tales of twisted loves and unsettling religious imagery.

SnusmumrikScary! But a tad more melodic than her previous outings.

#60

David Bowie – HUNKY DORY (1971)

Total Points = 526.63

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: John (#3), Michel (#10)

JohnAlthough I like a lot of late Bowie singles a little more than most of this stuff this is his greatest album.

HonorioI’ve got a soft spot for this album. I discovered it when I was a teen and felt this “strange fascination fascinating me”. The mix of music hall and folk, the amazing piano work (courtesy of Rick Wakeman in his personal peak), the immortal melodies (“Life on Mars?”), the cryptic but meaningful lyrics, “the mélange of kitsch and class” (quote form Stephen T. Erlewine) captured my heart forever.

#59

Portishead – DUMMY (1994)

Total Points = 529.96

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Henrik (#1), LonesomePanda (#5)

HonorioThe Bristol scene was an essential part of the 90s sound. Massive Attack were undoubtedly the pioneers and Tricky took the sound further, but it was Portishead with its debut album and its dark but smooth mixture of electronic and organic, of contemporary and timeless, of eccentric pop and soundtrack music who gave a masterpiece to the trip-hop style.

#58

Joy Division – CLOSER (1980)

Total Points = 530.70

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Michel (#2), Juan (#6), Jacek (#9)

[no comments provided]

#57

Oasis – DEFINITELY MAYBE (1994)

Total Points = 539.11

Appeared on 11 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: SuperFurry (#3), Toni (#4), twister (#8)

jonmarck: Back when Oasis' arrogance was merely ornamental the group actually cared about the songs they played, but don't take that to mean they agonized over the tunes. "Supersonic" was written on the spot, and it wasn't until a 2006 interview on CBC's The Hour with George Strombolopolous that Noel Gallagher realized "Digsy's Dinner" was misprinted without a second "n" for the American release. His reaction was personified ambivalence: "Well that explains a hell of a lot!" Back in 1994 British audiences were more desperate for rockstars than Oasis were for stardom. This put them in the enviable position of creating their debut precisely to their satisfaction. Despite (or perhaps because of) obvious pilfering from the Beatles, the Stone Roses and Coca-Cola ads, stand-out tracks "Rock 'n' Roll Star", "Shakermaker", "Live Forever" and "Cigarettes and Alcohol" drove Oasis to the top of the still new Brit-pop scene, leaving a very irritated Blur in their dust.

Anthony: Like I mentioned in Bracketology, it wasn’t until after hearing Morning Glory that I went back and got Oasis’ debut. I was instantly impressed (as most were), and I played the shit out of those two records for years afterward. The youthful exuberance and charming naivety of Definitely Maybe is as palpable today as when it first came out, and I think that’s what most are drawn to. But it’s also what differentiates it from its successor; Gallagher took the best parts of his songcraft on D.M., added bigger hooks, and turned it into stadium-sized anthems of universality. For me, Morning Glory is a richer album musically and lyrically, but Definitely Maybe wins big for being a balls-out rock juggernaut; an album that carried no other purpose than to show that Oasis had one goal in mind – to be the biggest band in the world. With Definitely Maybe, the intent was clear, but it wasn't until Morning Glory came out that they secured it.

Toni: All of those who say Oasis is merely an imitation of the Beatles should listen to this album. Favorite tracks: Up in the Sky, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Supersonic.

#56

The Rolling Stones – STICKY FINGERS (1971)

Total Points = 570.61

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Honorio (#8), Slush (#10)

Honorio: All the acclaim went to “Exile” but I prefer “Sticky”, an album with so many highlights that there’s no space enough to point them. It’s a dark album, not hiding sex (“Bitch”) or drug (“Sister Morphine”) references. It’s a roots album, from blues (“You Gotta Move”) to country (“Dead Flowers”). It’s the peak of Richards as rhythm guitar-player, being electric riffs (“Brown Sugar”) or acoustic flourishes (“Wild Horses”). And also features terrific guitar work from Mick Taylor (“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?”) or Ry Cooder. Wow!

Slush: The most exciting of all the Stones album. It has rockers, ballads and Bitch, what else do you need?.

#55

U2 – THE JOSHUA TREE (1987)

Total Points = 581.24

Appeared on 12 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Chris (#6)

jonmarck:This was the moment where U2 decided they weren't going to be a new wave punk group anymore. By shifting their gaze from north to west they discovered a land of gospel, blues and wide open space. U2's vision of America was one of courage and noble idealism. Put that way it doesn't sound half bad! Bono is doing his best Elvis here, bringing a showman quality to ballads "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Running to Stand Still". Those songs emphasize the theme of spiritual longing that permeates the whole album, also coming across strongly in the political desire of "One Tree Hill" and "Mothers of the Disappeared" and wide-open freedom of "In God's Country" and "Red Hill Mining Town". This newfound fascination with America was brought to more obvious conclusions on the troubled Rattle and Hum album. On Joshua Tree its the subtleties that give it its peace.

#54

The Strokes – IS THIS IT (2001)

Total Points = 582.07

Appeared on 17 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Anthony (#8)

Anthony: It seemed doomed from the beginning: an overhyped, post-9/11 indie-rock album from a band made up of five skinny, Chuck Taylor-clad NYC hipsters (of which the lead singer also happened to be the son of the head of a modeling empire.) A recipe for certain failure, yes, but that’s not what happened – “Is This It” became a huge success, and the band have yet to equal the achievement. It’s not a groundbreaking record, but it scores big for not being indulgent, or too lengthy, or stylistically different from song to song – it’s just a remarkably consistent album with 11 tight, well-crafted pop songs. Each hovers around the three-minute mark, bringing the total LP run time to 35 minutes - a perfect length for a perfect debut. One of the best albums of this decade.

Moonbeam: The album almost single-handedly rescued rock music from the doldrums of Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind, which in and of itself warrants massive praise. Short, to the point, and instantly gratifying.

Honorio: A widely influential album that defined the sound of the 00s. A back to basics rock ‘n’ roll with the influences on the sleeve, basically the NYC scene from Velvet Underground to Television. But they were not a revival band, they invigorated the rock scene creating a fresh a vital sound with pop melodies sung with distorted vocals, sharp guitars and the ease and insolence of the twenty-something.

#53

Joni Mitchell – BLUE (1971)

Total Points = 587.68

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: David (#3), BillAdama (#10)

Loophole:This is the Joni album that does it most for me, but I like her whole catalog. She’s an underrated songwriter. I really love “California.”

#52

David Bowie – LOW (1977)

Total Points = 592.70

Appeared on 16 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Vrgd (#1)

Moonbeam:Music as art - Low is Bowie's greatest artistic achievement, even if some of his other albums are more palatable. The care with which this album is crafted is second to none, and the results speak for themselves, even when there are no words.

#51

Pixies – SURFER ROSA (1988)

Total Points = 604.10

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: BillAdama (#6)

Toni: Dense album caracterized by a profusion of addictive melodies and refined textures hidden by noise. I think it's impossible to get tired of it.

jonmarck: It's hard to discuss the Pixies without linking them to Nirvana. This is because most writers feel obligated to validate the group's efforts by relating them to commercial success, if not even their own. However this goes completely against the whole point of the Pixies. They were supposed to be the small neighbourhood garage band who appeared to be as talentless as the rest of the headbangers but secretly sang songs about female lust and the River Euphrates. Steve Albini captures the group's carefree nature on this seminal indie rock landmark. "Bone Machine", "Tony's Theme" and "Broken Face" are goofy fun and "Where Is My Mind?" shows the band can sound good when it wants to.

nicolas:I remember when this record came out, my girlfriend fell immediately in love with the singer, but I didn't blame her. I found on the contrary that she had lots of taste, and Buckley was not a big threat. I remember when we parted, I cried alone in my dark room and I listened to Lilac Wine and Hallelujah.

Anthony:There are so many things to say about this album, but where to start? Well, besides having a huge importance in my life (it’s tied to three distinct events, two good and one terrible), it’s a record of enormous quality, rivaled by a shroud of mystery that seems to grow larger with each year. An artist of immense talent, Buckley refused to be pinned down by genres or enclosed by musical boundaries, and the genre-hopping on Grace that would normally be criticized has become its appeal (likely due to his premature death in 1997.) The record is the archetypal mixed bag: an ethereal hymn, a grunge stomp, a love ballad, an Eastern-tinged closer, a transcendental Cohen cover – it’s all there. And this is where the mystery comes in - together with the recurring themes of death and mortality that run through the album (taking a cue from Robert Johnson), one has to wonder whether Buckley knew his time was limited. Not to waste a single moment, he proceeds to pack every style of music he can onto one album, tours briefly, immediately gets to work on demos for his follow-up album, all before tragically getting swept under by the current on the night of May 29, 1997 (not suicide nor drug-related, just a freak accident.) Of course, it's likely not the case that Buckley knew of his impending death, but it seems that way sometimes.

It’s been frequently speculated that if Buckley hadn’t died prematurely, his stunning talent and creativity, together with his artistic ambition, would’ve translated into career longevity, echoing that of the greatest songwriters (Dylan, Springsteen, et al.). But with only one official album, a collection of frustratingly incomplete demo recordings (and a vault that’s likely empty by now), one can only imagine what type of career Buckley would’ve had. My guess is that it would've been long, varied, acclaimed, and at times, genius. If he was still around, chances are this wouldn’t be the only album making this list.

#48

R.E.M. – MURMUR (1983)

Total Points = 640.24

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: DrDre (#3), Stammer (#3)

DrDre: Murmur was instantly highly acclaimed in the US, but it took a while for the European critics to recognize this fantastic album. Maybe because it sounds like 'ordinary' traditional American folk and garage rock, but it has much more to offer, still being as distinctive as it sounded almost 25 years ago.

#47

Sonic Youth – DAYDREAM NATION (1988)

Total Points = 655.36

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Jacek (#2), Rendle (#6), BillAdama, (#8)

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#46

The Stone Roses – THE STONE ROSES (1989)

Total Points = 662.67

Appeared on 14 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Toni (#3), Midaso (#4), twister (#9), Jacek (#10)

Toni:Almost its songs are perfect masterpieces (and the remaining ones are amazing tracks either). It's homogenic like few other excelent albums, and during all its almost fifty minutes, melody flows effortless from Brown's voice and squire's guitar. I love its breezy, windy climate. And in days when people always say human's capacity of creating art is becoming over, this album's history in English late 80's can show us that when everything seems to have already been invented, there's still something great waiting to be discovered. Favorite tracks: (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister, She Bangs the Drums, Made of Stone.

#45

Neil Young – AFTER THE GOLDRUSH (1970)

Total Points = 669.28

Appeared on 16 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Schwah (#3), nicolas (#6), DrDre (#10)

Schwah:Peculiarly, I don't usually like music such as this -- rootsy and spare, and a touch languid. But there is such grand, undeniable beauty in these songs and in the slightly rough harmonies.

Snusmumrik:Not a cheerful record, by any means! But beautifully executed gloom, and ends on a light note.

Nicolas:What makes it the best Neil young album? I guess it has to do with the exceptional quality of the songs and the frailty of Neil's voice and the instrumental performance. It's the perfect singer-songwriter album: no technical virtuosity, just pure expression.

DrDre:The only 70's album in my top 10, but Neil's finest folk and country rock surely belongs there.

#44

Sufjan Stevens – ILLINOIS (2005)

Total Points = 671.19

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Weezy (#4), Mike (#5), jonmarck (#7)

jonmarck:Even in a time where offbeat alt-pop has come close to displacing mainstream music Stevens' tribute to his neighbouring state seemed to come from left field. Angular rhythms were mixed with Charlie Brown piano, trumpet lines that sounded fresh out of a high school stage band and whispered vocals (even when sung by a choir), then given names that sometimes ran as long as paragraphs for the first truly successful prog-folk album. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and "Casimir Pulaski Day" highlight Stevens' sensitive side, "Jacksonville" is blissful eccentricism, and "Chicago" and "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" are rockin' glory. The manic tone wouldn't be the same without Stevens' characteristic humility. It kills me to have to wait for a follow-up.

Anthony:An album of remarkable ambition; “adventurous” doesn’t even begin to describe this masterpiece - it’s original, humorous at times, and full of emotion. I’m not sure if Stevens will be able to top (or equal) the achievement, but it’ll be interesting to see what he’s got up his sleeve. Illinois’ successor can’t come soon enough.

#43

Radiohead – THE BENDS (1995)

Total Points = 673.31

Appeared on 20 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Midaso (#9)

jonmarck:Goal A for The Bends to have more a solid hit. Radiohead were dangerously close to being pegged a one-hit wonder as they hadn't even won a solid fanbase in their own country yet. Fortunately the one group unaware of this goal was Radiohead. As much as their label/management were dying to turn them into a reliable chart-topper the band insisted on creating music on their own terms, leading to the art-rock nuances of "Planet Telex", "Sulk" and "My Iron Lung". MTV still got their hits with "Fake Plastic Trees", "High and Dry" and "Just" and the mopey Pablo Honey fans (who probably listened to too much Smiths) got "Street Spirit", "Nice Dream" and "Bullet Proof". Part post-grunge guitar anthems, part weepy brit-pop, all highly conceptual, this was Radiohead's first work with lasting value.

Lonesome Panda:Always hard to choose between those two… my favourite songs are in the Bends but OK Computer sometimes seems a little more consistent as an album.

Anthony:The thing about The Bends is, when you listen to it (even now), it's the sound of a band that has found their footing and is on the path towards something spectacular, but are still not quite there yet (one album away from greatness, as it would turn out.) For someone like me, it detracts slightly from the enjoyment of it, but if you take it for what it is, it may just be the poppiest collection of Radiohead songs in their catalogue. Songs like "High and Dry" and "Black Star" are pure pop - catchy hooks and big choruses (the type of thing that Yorke grew to detest, as he would mention in Kid A-era interviews), and other moments like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spririt", which trade choruses for refrains, are just as memorable. Many bands would give their collective right arms for an album like The Bends, but I think at this point, Radiohead themselves are almost relegating it to "Pablo Honey" status.

#42

Neutral Milk Hotel – IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA (1998)

Total Points = 683.00

Appeared on 18 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Harold Wexler (#3), Anthony (#10)

Loophole: See, I really am “hip” for an old guy!! (referring to the inclusion of this album on his list. - Anthony)

Anthony: AllMusic called it a “marching band on an acid trip”, and you can’t really beat that analogy. An indie cult-classic if there ever was one, “In The Aeroplane…” was the final album from the group; the last statement of leader Jeff Magnum, who hasn’t been heard from for the last 10 years. Apparently, he had nothing more to say, which is probably the reason why many have embraced this album – it's the last words of a songwriter equally gifted and mysterious. When you wonder “what could’ve been?”, it always makes an artist/band’s final statement that much more special.

#41

The Rolling Stones – BEGGER’S BANQUET (1968)

Total Points = 692.53

Appeared on 18 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: otisredding (#5), Rocky Raccoon (#9), Stammer (#9)

schleuse:Makes me want to take back every nasty crack I’ve ever made about the 60s. The Stones returned from their ill-advised psychedelic trip to make their most powerful album (and followed this with Let It Bleed, almost as good). Maybe the reason I like it so much is that, as far as I can tell, mixed in with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and all the great blues revival stuff are a couple of very credible forays into country-tinged rock, but without Allman-type shagginess: “No Expectations” and “Stray Cat Blues.”

nicolas:The best blues-rock album ever. Instead of aping it, they use it as an influence and play their own songs.

#40

My Bloody Valentine – LOVELESS (1991)

Total Points = 693.99

Appeared on 15 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Mo (#2)

Mo:More love for Loveless.

Anthony:A record that I hadn't heard of until I starting working at a record store at 19. Droning, feedbacked guitar never sounded so good.

#39

Prince and The Revolution – PURPLE RAIN (1984)

Total Points = 702.69

Appeared on 19 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Rocky Raccoon (#6), Henrik (#9)

Moonbeam:Each of the nine songs contained within would become unmitigated anthems, the shadow of which Prince could never quite escape. With Purple Rain, Prince garnered his legendary status through both his music and the film itself- an unprecedented feat.

Honorio:Prince made a master stroke with this one. He reached a higher audience using elements of rock (distorted guitars, slow building songs as “Purple Rain”) and synth-pop (synthesizers, “Computer Blue”). But never forgot his black audience, using funk (“Baby I’m a Star”) or soul ballads (“The Beautiful Ones”). And even mixing all four styles in a song, the superb “When Doves Cry”.

#38

Van Morrison – ASTRAL WEEKS (1968)

Total Points = 708.74

Appeared on 13 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Weezy (#1), Jem (#3), EdAmes (#7), DrDre (#8), Mike (#10)

DrDre:Two options: either you like this album, or you love it.

Nicolas:A difficult but beautiful work, and the most audacious Morrison achievement, full of poetry and a wonderful choice of instruments.

#37

U2 – ACHTUNG BABY (1991)

Total Points = 710.26

Appeared on 16 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Toni (#6), Midaso (#8), schleuse (#9)

schleuse: Crushes everything else in their catalog flat. Bono had decided that his righteousness needed to be tinged with irony if he wasn’t going to put everyone off (turns out he was right). Who knows if that has anything to do with the finest songwriting of the band’s career—“Even the Better Than the Real Thing,” “One,” “So Cruel”—for those who could deal with the jagged production, it runs rings around The Joshua Tree (no mean feat). Plus, hey, there’s the stupid fun of “The Fly” and “Zoo Station”—as I suggested in my comments on Highway 61, I can’t really trust music that’s afraid to be goofy.

Anthony: U2's last great album, and while they've been trying ever since to acheive the same level of grandeur and brilliance with subsequent albums, all they've done is spent the better part of a decade-and-a-half grasping (unsuccessfully) at relevance with half-arsed electronica and MOR rock. It's probably fair to say that Bono and co.'s best days are behind them; Achtung Baby remains the pinnacle of their career.

jonmarck: In "The Fly" Bono sings "Every artist is a cannibal/Every poet is a thief". Though the Irish quartet were safe from charges of plagiarism this idea best described their approach to their next decade of work. With cheerful irreverence Bono et. al. dissect the public's fascination with celebrity. Though equally interesting, the other albums of this period (Zooropa, Pop) would lack Achtung, Baby's confident enthusiasm. Lead single "The Fly" combines Edge's falsetto with Bono's spoken word for a soaring chorus, "Until the End of the World" tackles Bible stories from a romping guitar riff and "One" proved to be the group's "Under the Bridge".

Toni: The Edge changed radically his way of playing guitar and it made all the band's sound look a decade more modern. If U2 isn't considered just an 80's group today, much is due to this classic. Favorite tracks: The Fly, One, Even Better than the Real Thing.

#36

Talking Heads – REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)

Total Points = 710.50

Appeared on 18 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: DrDre (#1), Michel (#3), Juan (#5)

DrDre:David Byrne's weird narrative singing, combined with afro-dance rhythms, what more can you ask for. It's just one long trip, from start to finish I am in a trance. "And the beat goes on!"

Honorio:At last the time of vindication of Talking Heads has come! Its sound was almost entirely new, almost pure innovation. The angular pop of previous albums is here perfected (“Once in a Lifetime”) but adding elements of cold funk (“Born Under Punches”) and attempts at world music (“Houses in Motion”). Never dance music was (and will be) so cerebral.

jonmarck:Hendrix's most ambitious album broke new ground for psychedelia. By now some parts sound as dated as its contemporaries (Jefferson Airplane anyone?) but "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"'s wild wah modulations cannot be denied. Not every moment works but that's part of the beauty. After all, diamonds are twice as valuable when found in the rough. "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" was one such tucked-away gem, as was the now famous "All Along the Watchtower". Even Dylan prefers Hendrix's version.

Honorio:The highest achievement of Hendrix’s short career. While he was discovering the studio trickery and expanding his limits he made the perfect druggy album. And with his usual mastery on electric guitar, showcased on the four-part solo on “All Along the Watchtower”: 1) bluesy with string bending 2) with slide and echo 3) with his landmark wah wah 4) with crazy funky rhythm.

Nicolas:A trip. No record captured the atmosphere of the late 60's better than this one. It is also the outmost of electric guitar, of course. Favorite songs: All Along the Watchtower and 1983.

#34

Led Zeppelin – LED ZEPPELIN IV (1971)

Total Points = 721.16

Appeared on 22 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Rocky Raccoon (#10)

jonmarck:This album is so famous it's practically its own self-parody. But that only goes to show how great it is. "Rock and Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "When the Levee Breaks" were instant rolling classics while "Black Dog" took blues into the heavy metal seventies. They're great, but don't let those monsters diminish the lighter tracks "The Battle of Evermore" (featuring the only guest musician ever on a Zeppelin album), "Going to California" and a tiny, oft-overlooked little piece called "Stairway to Heaven". Maybe you've heard of it?

Anthony:A record that should be in everyone's collection, if for no other reason than the musicianship: the rhythm section (Bonham's drumming on "Levee", Jones' groove on "Black Dog"), the guitar (Page's solo on "Stairway"), and vocals (Plant's histrionics on "Rock and Roll"). And to think that the members were in their early twenties makes it even more impressive.

Honorio:The first masterpiece of heavy-metal and, for good or bad, probably the most influential album ever, creating a style that is here to stay. It could be tagged as pretentious or show-off, but everyone must admit that is exceptionally well played. And, although punk revolution turned the virtuoso playing more a fault than a virtue, being an outstanding music player is nothing to be ashamed of.

Nicolas:After 10 years, the biggest fall of value is Led Zeppelin. Most of their albums don't do anything to me anymore, except the fourth, because Stairway to Heaven still works (if not for the lyrics), and Going to California is a very beautiful song. In fact, everything which is not only bad blues electrified and hard rock bravado.

#33

The Zombies – ODESSEY AND ORACLE (1968)

Total Points = 753.68

Appeared on 17 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: dumbangel (#4), Mo (#6), Anthony (#9)

Loophole: Could it be the British Pet Sounds? No. But still great.

Lonesome Panda: The British "Pet Sounds"? Maybe, but this one has really aged better!

Anthony: The most recent entry in my personal top 10. I only just discovered this album in early 2007 and it's already become one of my favorites, therefore, I feel a responsibility to convince those who've yet to hear it that it's amazing and deserving of a listen at the first opportunity.

I'll just come right out and say it: this is one of the best psychedelic pop albums of all time, bar none, with an appeal heightened slightly by its history. Firstly, the album's release in 1968 went unnoticed (Britain already had a few favorite pop bands at the time, and they didn't need another one.) The group disbanded shortly (two weeks, in fact) after Odessey & Oracle came out, and the album was forgotten. But in the last 40 years it's become hailed as something of a "lost classic" – and finally getting some of the attention it deserves. The opening track "Care of Cell 44" is pure ear candy, and the sing-along melodies continue all the way to the final song "Time of the Season" - undoubtedly, the song that most will recognize. For me, the song that really stands out lies in the middle of the record - track #6: "Hung Up On a Dream". This song encapsulates everything that makes the album great - a gorgeous melody floating over a genius composition - packaged together with a light dusting of British psychedelia. The song itself features dreamy lyrics, a brilliant minor-key vocal melody highlighted by amazing choir-like background vocals, and a key transposition thrown in for good measure. But this isn't the only track that impresses - each of the 12 songs has its own charm that make the album work. Rolling Stone called Odessey & Oracle "...a combination of the adventure of Sgt. Pepper's with British Invasion pop", while others (see above) consider it "the British Pet Sounds." So, if you have Sgt. Pepper's AND Pet Sounds on your list, but have never heard this album - GO GET IT. It's an underrated treasure, and though the price tag might be ugly, it's worth it (fwiw, the latest release features both stereo and mono mixes.)

Schwah: It took his next three albums to show that his range could be harnessed in the interest of more cohesive albums. But Odelay is the ur-Beck document, and probably the most fun album of all time (with the possible exception of my #63 (Junior Senior), but the artistry here is much greater).

Loophole: At the time of its release, this record sounded like nothing else.

Toni: Beck here is in the highest of his capacity of invention. The association of electronica, rap, rock and whatever else here leads to delightful and too funny moments.

#30

Bob Dylan – BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME (1965)

Total Points = 845.45

Appeared on 16 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: jonmarck (#1), Neoptolemos (#2), David (#2), Loophole (#3)

Neoptolemos: The conversion from folk to rock has never been portrayed so beautifully. In contrast to the famous 1966 concert he actually starts out with the rock part, almost as if to say: "This is the future.". He doesn't let down the folk-fans though, because the second side is just as brilliant as the first, if not even better.

Loophole: The acoustic side is killer.

jonmarck: Dylan satisfies both audiences by combining an electric first side with an acoustic second. Good thing he's great at both. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Maggie's Farm" are two of his most exhilarating rockers while "Mr. Tambourine Man", "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" show he hasn't completely forgotten his old fanbase.

#29

Bruce Springsteen – BORN TO RUN (1975)

Total Points = 876.52

Appeared on 21 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: nicolas (#5), otisredding (#6), Neoptolemos (#7), Slush (#9)

Loophole: Thunder Road makes the record.

Slush: What hasn't been said? Born to Run captures the frustration of being an American without a million dollars so well that it's hard to believe people had these feelings before Born to Run.

Neoptolemos: Every song seems as appropriate and new as it must have been back in 75. One of those (very few) albums that make me wish I could have been there.

Nicolas: First, one of the best cover art of all time. Then an ode to the illusion of escape. The recurring theme of Born to Run is "we gotta get out while we're young". Then the next album, his masterpiece, is about the ones who stayed because they found there is nowhere to go.

jonmarck: At this point Springsteen was a high profile artist but he still hadn't broke. Well this album broke him twice: once mainstream, the other the bank. But don't worry about the Boss. He's doing quite well, even if heartbreak ballads "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland" speak otherwise.

Honorio: “Born to Run” represents the culmination of the first Springsteen, the one of the adolescent urgency (“Thunder Road”), of the street-gangs epics (“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”), of the cheaters glory (“Meeting Across the River”), of the nocturnal life agitation (“Night”), of the romanticism of the alleys (“Backstreets”), where “the girls combs their hair in rear-view mirrors / and the boys try to look so hard”.

#28

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – ARE YOU EXPERIENCE? (1967)

Total Points = 903.20

Appeared on 20 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: BillAdama (#1), Rocky Raccoon (#3), Mike (#6)

jonmarck: Many consider this to be the best debut ever and though I disagree it's easy to see where they're coming from. With such surefire hits as "The Wind Cries Mary", "Foxey Lady", "Fire", "Purple Haze" and Hendrix' version of "Hey Joe" the album sounds more like a greatest hits compilation than a debut. Too bad the album tracks aren't as exciting as the singles.

#27

Stevie Wonder – INNERVISIONS (1973)

Total Points = 903.20

Appeared on 20 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Sonofsamiam (#2), otisredding (#3), Vgrd (#3), Honorio (#9)

jonmarck: Innervisions plays like a sampler of Wonder's best moments. "Higher Ground" is storming gospel funk, "Living for the City" is socially-conscious R&B, "Golden Lady" is a sweet love ballad and "He's Misstra Know it All" is a no-holds-barred attack on Nixon.

Honorio: In a word: prodigy. All in Stevie Wonder is prodigious. His prodigious mastery playing almost every instrument on the album, being a particularly gifted vocalist, keyboardist and harmonica player (not forgetting his astonishingly qualities as a drummer!). His prodigious song-writing achieves the paradox of making catchy and easy-listening his intricate and complex harmonies. And his prodigiously clear (inner) vision about social issues and human feelings. Innervisions. It’s impossible to find a more appropriate title.

#26

The Who – WHO’S NEXT (1971)

Total Points = 912.86

Appeared on 21 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Slush (#1), Neoptolemos (#3), Harold Wexler (#7)

Slush: Pete Townshend reached absolute perfection here. The flow of the album is better than any other with a peak, valley, peak structure, the album lulls you end and takes over your life. Every listen reveals something new.

Neoptolemos: When you've got the best intro ever on the first song and the greatest minute in rock history as the last minute on the last track, you're doing something right. And Townshend doesn't stop there, every single track is a hit.

Nicolas: How to mix power and melody, pop and rock.

jonmarck: Townsend learns to use a synthesizer, Glyn Johns learns how to record and Daltry learns to scream like only Bono would. Half the album is a waste of time but the singles make it worthwhile..

#25

Bob Dylan – BLOOD ON THE TRACKS (1975)

Total Points = 914.33

Appeared on 22 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Snusmumrik (#7)

Snusmumrik: For songwriting alone: Dylan's best album. But put the guy on a stage and he does them even better.

Loophole: Overrated, but still great

Nicolas: I love this Dylan, more personal, bittersweet,, more sincere too, as if the mask had dropped for a while. But not completely, of course.

jonmarck: Tom Verlaine was the one who convinced CBGB owner Hilly Crystal to let punk rockers play on Sunday nights. That alone gave them punk cred. This album, with its emphasis on texture and musicianship might not have meant much to the other first wave punkers, both in the US and UK, but its influence was hugely felt in the post-punk world. It's hard to imagine the Clash, U2 or R.E.M. without Marquee Moon. The sinewy title track should be the first stop for all newcomers, followed by "Guiding Light", "Friction" and "See No Evil". If you're not hooked by then there's no helping you.

Slush: I've heard them described as The Grateful Dead meets the Ramones. I'd like to think it's Bach meets Jimmy Page. The title song is a symphony of urban life, not just a long punk song. The composition and musicianship on this album is so incredible, it's difficult not to respect and adore it. Plus, I, for one, love Tom Verlaine's voice.

#23

The Beatles – RUBBER SOUL (1965)

Total Points = 947.39

Appeared on 23 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: John (#1)

[b[John[/b]: The Beatles at their finest. A mix of the early and the late stuff to make the perfect Beatles record.

Honorio: The perfect “bridge” album. Between the funny but slightly trivial Beatlemania and the innovations of “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s”, “Rubber Soul” was the turning point of a inquisitive and creative musicians who were about to break its limits. But in that exact point they were able to create songs that would serve to explain to an extraterrestrial what is pop music.

Loophole: Has always been one of my favorite Beatles records. I like “woody” music. See “The Band” above.

Nicolas: The first modern album of the Beatles, with mutiple innovations and expansion of their talent.

#22

Marvin Gaye – WHAT’S GOING ON (1971)

Total Points = 948.52

Appeared on 20 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Vgrd (#2), Daniel (#9), Jem (#10)

Honorio: Viewed with the incredulous and cynical eyes of the ones living in the XXI Century and knowing that after Vietnam came Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Iraq and the masters of war continue doing what they want, the message of “What’s Going On” reveals naïve and innocent. But this fact didn’t prove untrue that “war is not the answer / for only love can conquer hate”.

nicolas: I love albums that can be listented to as a whole, where the music flows from song to song like this. So classious. Both mystic and sexual (not a paradox). Marvin you're still alive.

#21

R.E.M. – AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (1992)

Total Points = 957.25

Appeared on 21 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: schleuse (#2), Mo (#5), Vgrd (#8), Weezy (#9), Chris (#10)

schleuse: For people born after about 1975, this is what R.E.M. is supposed to sound like. Just a crazy diverse set of songs—rundown glam on “Drive,” quirky beauty on “Try Not to Breathe” and “Sweetness Follows,” neo-soul on “Everybody Hurts,” sleazy languor on “Star Me Kitten,” and the gorgeous ballads that close it, “Nightswimming” and “Find the River” (Stipe’s always in fine form when he goes for the water imagery). And then there’s the “archetypal” R.E.M. song (according to Peter Buck), “Man on the Moon.” Yet everything hangs together perfectly. The production manages to emphasize a consistent sense of beauty mixed with loss and resignation, but not in an arrested-adolescent sense a la Morrissey or Billy Corgan—this is a pop album by four confident adults. (And, as a relentless Zeppelin basher, I have to digress to give props to John Paul Jones’ string arrangements on several of the songs.) The greatest American band’s finest hour.

Anthony: For me, there's always been an intangible appeal about this record - an elusive quality that I can't really put my finger on, but one that few other albums possess. When you listen to the record, you get the impression that you're listening to an album that was written and recorded during a brief window of opportunity where the perfect set of circumstances aligned. Is it the layers of strings and acoustic instrumentation? Is it Stipe's earnestness? Is it the cozy production? Maybe the balance of delicate sentimentality with haunting nostalgia? It's probably a combination of everything, and it resulted in R.E.M.'s most acclaimed and most commerical album. Unfortunately (and like U2's Achtung), it would also be the last great album from a band that went on to dabble in electronica and other strangeness before settling into pop-rock mediocrity. Fortunately though, both R.E.M. and U2 will probably be remembered for their respective masterpieces rather than the crap that followed.

Honorio: “Berlin” in the seventies, “Nebraska” in the eighties and “Automatic for the People” in the nineties. Just when they were at the height of its popularity, R.E.M. were bold enough to release an album filled with moody and somber songs, with delicate arrangements and deeply cryptic lyrics. And, although it could be seen a commercial suicide, they succeeded again.

Mo: This will stay a classic for a long time.

#20

Arcade Fire – FUNERAL (2004)

Total Points = 966.52

Appeared on 25 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Mo (#3), pop elton (#6)

Schwah: Perhaps time will diminish its power for me, but I still feel comfortable placing it here, right under the top-10. This is the one current band I regret not having seen live. What's amazing about this album is you can sense what must be the power of the live performance in their studio recordings.

jonmarck: In July 2004 I saw the Arcade Fire perform at the side stage of a small Guelph, Ontario folk festival. The next spring they opened for U2. It all happened because in August 2004 they released Funeral to a glowing 97% Pitchfork review, and quickly became THE band of 2005, going from small campus pubs to international arenas in a matter of months. They deserved every bit of acclaim. With the four-part Neighborhood suite and other songs such as "Rebellion" and "Wake Up" Arcade Fire crafted a heavily rhythmic tribute to nostalgia and loss. Gang choruses, parade-style performances and string sections were used to accentuate the weepy anthems with unmatched beauty. High-brow yet blue-collar, brave yet fragile, weathered yet full of youth, the Arcade Fire showed how all it takes is one great album.

Moonbeam: Resonating throughout is a sense of true mourning, even in the quixotic moments where the album soars to lofty heights.

Anthony: I was a 20 year old indie-rock snob working at a record store when a co-worker suggested one day that I pick up this album. So I did, and soon after, it became one of my favorites and it hasn't left my top 10 in six years (and most likely never will.) An extraordinary piece of art, Kind of Blue is transcendental, atmospheric, and a testament to the beauty of improvisation and to the musical genius of Miles Davis. It's the type of record that enhances almost any occasion; regardless whether you put it on in the morning and cook breakfast to it, take a drive around the city at 3am listening to it, or use it as a soundtrack to a romantic night with your lover, Kind of Blue is the type of album that works exceptionally well as either background music or a record to throw on the headphones and immerse yourself in. Either way, it doesn't demand anything from the listener other than to just enjoy its beauty - and there's plenty of it. It's simply jazz’s finest hour (yes, the entire genre.)

jonmarck: Miles Davis had an almost effortless control over his trumpet, and it seemed like the simpler the songs grew, the more he thrived. On this seminal jazz album he uses "So What", "Freddie Freeloader" and "Flamenco Sketches" as launchpads for his tasteful flourishes. This is also the first major modal jazz album. Don't worry. It still sounds great.

Loophole: Should be in every record collection. Vinyl is better.

Honorio: I know that’s unfair that this album is the only representation of jazz in my list, but I’ve never liked the flourishes and pyrotechnics that dead-weights the genre. But this album is a whole other thing. It’s about mood, about atmosphere. The songs, almost completely improvised at the very moment, benefits of a terrific line-up including Bill Evans and John Coltrane besides the one and only Miles Davis.

#18

The Rolling Stones – EXILE ON MAIN ST. (1972)

Total Points = 998.66

Appeared on 21 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: BillAdama (#3), Jem (#7), Mike (#8)

jonmarck: The Stones most difficult album is their strongest. Never an album band, it took complete detachment from the industry for the iconic rock group to turn out their most consistent effort. "Rocks Off" and "Tumbling Dice" are understated masterpieces while "Happy" slips through on a thunderous horn arrangement.

Nicolas: Every rock group had his "cellar" album. This one is a celebration of blues, rock, one of the best American records by a non-US act.

Honorio: A cult album, misunderstood and ignored when it was released. At the exact time (1967) and place (California) of hippie splendour there was Arthur Lee, a man who didn’t share that cosmic happiness. “Sitting on a hillside / watching all the people die / I’ll feel much better on the other side”. And he found the right way to express it, with acoustic guitars and strings. But nobody wanted to hear it at the time…

#16

The Smiths – THE QUEEN IS DEAD (1986)

Total Points = 1071.71

Appeared on 21 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Midaso (#1), Honorio (#7), Juan (#10)

Honorio: Morrissey is a polarizing artist, no doubt. You love him or you hate him, there’s no middle ground. And I am one of the first group, of course. All his weapons are showed to maximum impact on “The Queen Is Dead”: anger and sarcasm (“Frankly Mr. Shankly”, “The Queen Is Dead”), provocation and humour (“Vicar in a Tutu”, “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”), self-pity (“Never Had No One Ever”, “I Know It’s Over”) and, of course, his very own brand of impetuous romanticism (“There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”).

Loophole: Morrissey is funny. Johnny Marr is great.

Moonbeam: This album represents one of the definite peaks of post punk power, becoming an album of the ages. It is at once tortured, humorous, mournful, cheeky and thrilling. As such, The Queen Is Dead is the Smiths' most electrifying rollercoaster of a listen.

#15

Nirvana – NEVERMIND (1991)

Total Points = 1089.51

Appeared on 26 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Chris (#2), Stammer (#2), rendle (#9)

schleuse: Here’s one sign of a great album: every time I listen to it, a different song is my favorite. In the last year alone, I’ve thought at different times that “Breed,” “Polly,” “Drain You,” and “Lithium” was the best thing on the record. But I was probably right every time. It’s that rich. Depending on how you count, between one-third and one-half of my top 15 is punk or post-punk. What all these albums share is, yes, aggression, but aggression built on a solid foundation of pop craftsmanship…and nobody here was craftier than Kurt.

Honorio: The soundtrack for the generation X, filled with ferocious guitars, solid rhythms and teenage angst-charged angrily-shouted lyrics. Only this tight connection with a whole generation could explain the wide acclaim. But the album also contains an undeniable high amount of hooks and a great load of memorable melodies. Of course, nothing to be ashamed of.

Anthony: Two years ago, if someone had asked me to name my favorite Radiohead album, without hesitation my enthusiastic answer would’ve been “OK Computer”, and for good reason – it’s an absolutely stunning record; an undeniable landmark of modern music. But at some point (and it took five years from the time of its release) Kid A snuck up from behind and blindsided me with its mysterious beauty; enough so that I now consider it not only my favorite Radiohead album, but one of my favorite albums, period. Upon release, the media initially panned it off as a weak follow-up; they labelled it as an obligatory sonic detour – essentially what would be expected from a band completely disenfranchised by success (and the entire music business) and tired of the sound that made them popular. They were partly right; at first listen, Kid A doesn't seem like much more than a bunch of blips and skronks mingling with unintelligible vocals and strange instrumentation. But further listens reveal it to be much more than a band fooling around with new sounds, tinkering with new instruments, and changing roles. True, the band did grow frustrated and tired of the guitar-rock sound, but they took the opportunity to explore new musical territories and landscapes. What resulted was a deliberately crafted and executed album with many hidden layers and meanings; it's an embarrassment of riches, and the album that Radiohead needed to make. It might’ve been their hardest on every level, but it turned out to be their best.

Honorio: Seeing legions of bands mimicking every detail of its previous production (there’s no need to name one, is there?), Radiohead were forced to find a completely new direction. And they found it in avant-garde, electronica and IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), depicting a world ever weirder, stranger and more alienated than the world showed in “OK Computer”. And that’s saying a lot.

jonmarck: There was always a lot of pressure on Radiohead. First they had to score a deal, then they had to prove that they weren't a one-hit-wonder, then they had to explain why they were abandoning commercial music and radio-rock, then, after Ok Computer, they had to follow-up one of the best albums of all-time. The quintet reacted by growing even more isolated, more mechanical. Thanks to Thom Yorke's growing disgust with organic music their three guitar line-up was disintegrated in favour of electronic gear and orchestral rrangements. Yorke was still petrified from the pressure, and he developped a nasty case of writers block, as most of his new songs were little more than a drum track and lyrical fragments drawn from a hat. The rest of the band understandably considered these sessions "larely unproductive" and came very close to splitting up. Eventually Radiohead found its footing in Krautrock and neo-jazz, adding a Mingus-inspired horn arrangement to "The National Anthem" and an Ondes Martenot to "How Disappear Completely" for esoteric effect. Though a single was never chosen from Kid A fans latched onto the representative "Everything in Its Right Place" and beat-heavy "Idioteque". Radio tried to give "Optimistic" a spot on their playlists, probably because it was the only song with electric guitars and a bpm higher than 70, but quickly realized neither Radiohead nor their audience were interested in what they had to offer. That was probably the moment that rock radio went out of business.

Anthony: Like a good film, a great album should be an <i>experience</i>; it should flow, captivate, provoke, inspire, and entertain. For my money, no other album achieves all of this to the extent that Dark Side of the Moon does – and that’s why I consider it my favorite album of all time. From the iconic cover art to the musique concrète soundscapes to the thematic lyrics concerning the pressures of daily life (“Time”, “Money”, “Us and Them”,) everything about DSotM works. It’s the concept album of concept albums – a landmark recording that plays like a movie and in doing so, rewards focused listening (which is why it’s often described as the greatest “headphone album”, and why it’s sometimes - and unfortunately - branded as “stoner rock.”) Its status, like any truly great album, is mythic (Dark Side of the Rainbow, anyone?), and while it teeters on pretension, its focus remains consistent throughout the 43 minutes of aural headtrip splendor.

nicolas: When I buy myself a high-tech strereo, I'll use this record to test the sound. A big classic.

Honorio: The heroes of indie-pop. The Boston band improved the findings of “Surfer Rosa” (and that’s saying a lot) focusing in good pop melodies (with delicious backing vocals by Kim Deal) without losing its trademark weirdness, its adventurous guitar work from Joey Santiago and the strange lyrical themes of Black Francis (mutilation, bleeding, “Un chien andalou”). Simultaneously catchy and bizarre.

schleuse: The 80s end and the 90s begin.

jonmarck: The Pixies followed up Surfer Rosa with more of the same nowhere themes and gibberish chants. "La La Love You" may rank as one of their most cheerfully pointless compositions. Since it was their second time through the process (not counting debut EP Come on Pilgrim) they were more efficient and achieved stronger results. This is best witnessed on "Debaserr", "Wave of Mutilation", "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man", which the group had actually been playing since their first gig. Tensions were mounting between Kim Deal and Black Francis as the band was reluctant to perform her not-so-stellar songs. While opening for U2 on the ZooTV tour this rift would widen to the point where Deal wasn't even conversing with her bandmates.

#11

David Bowie – THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1972)

Honorio: I can’t think of a better example of a beautifully and cleverly constructed album that my all-time favourite one, “Ziggy Stardust”. It opens with a fade-in of the drums in “Five Years” immediately setting an apocalyptic background, followed by three consecutive hymns, the 50s-flavoured “Soul Love”, the space-rock anthem “Moonage Daydream” and the delicious “Star Man”. The B-side songs focus on rock stardom, with peaks as high as “Star” (“I could play the wild mutation as a rock & roll star”) or the mythical “Ziggy Stardust” (“He was the nazz / with God given ass, / he took it all too far / but boy could he play guitar”). And then the grand finale with the melodramatic “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide”. This theatrical approach to pop music was his best weapon and is what made this piece of art so unbeatable. Unbeatable? Of course, in my opinion. But it could have been even better changing the Ron Davies cover “It Ain’t Easy” for the superb “Velvet Goldmine” from the same sessions.

Moonbeam: The behemoth in his catalogue, Ziggy looms large as the first album in which Bowie submerged himself in a fully-formed character, all the while synthesizing traditional music structure with such subversive content. Its brilliant sequencing gives the album the feeling of an epic story, and its grandeur holds up on repeated listens.

schleuse: As my list probably shows, I don’t give a lot of points for thematic unity. But no other album has ever pulled off the narrative sense that this one has without seeming forced.

Snusmumrik: Bring on the glam Messiah!

jonmarck: Ziggy played guitar and Bowie played Ziggy. Funny how he had to pretend to be a rockstar in order to write his best rock tunes. Singles "Ziggy Stardust" and "Starman" are melodramatic affairs. Stick to the hard-rock R&B of "Suffragette City", "Hang Onto Yourself" and "Moonage Daydream".

Schwah: Come for the theater, stay for the rock! Bowie's alien delivery is ear-catching, and the song-writing is top drawer. But the re-listenability (is that a word?) that is missing from too many Bowie albums comes from Marc Ronson's licks.

jonmarck: Dylan's most whimsical set sounds like he did the whole thing smashed, not just first track "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". Not a moment was wasted on this pioneering double-LP, from the jump-blues of "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" to the serene compassion of "Just Like a Woman" and first-take-keeper "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". Though it stays well within the framework established on his previous two albums every song is distinct and as irreplaceable as a leopard-skinned pillbox hat.

Neoptolemos: Along with "Exile on Main St." the very definition of an album where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. However, whereas The Rolling Stones didn't really have a superhit on the album, Dylan has several. That makes for his third classic in a row, an unparalleled achievement.

Honorio: Dylan not abandoned the automatic poetry of his previous two albums but he pointed toward more personal matters. The lyrics were cryptic and the music was messy but this was not only part of the charm but maybe its main appeal. He tried to find a unique sound equidistant from pop-rock and roots-music and he succeeded. In Dylan’s own words: "The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up. That's my particular sound.”

Loophole: In the same class as the other two giant Dylan records, but maybe a little less focused/powerful.

nicolas: Another one better than the sum of its parts. By far my favorite '60s album by Dylan. Like AMG says "an album of enormous depth".

Schwah: 1967: Schwah is not born yet. 1977: Four-year-old Schwah is introduced to a playmate's older brother's 8-track of Sgt. Pepper. Schwah spends the rest of the summer teasing a girl down the street by the name of Lucy. 1987: A fellow camper's incessant playing of the Blue Album, followed by a TV special on Sgt. Pepper, prompts Schwah to pull his father's vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper out. Five years of maniacal Beatlemania follows. 1997: Still burned out from his Beatlemania, Schwah is too busy exploring other musical ground... but deep down is comforted in the knowledge that the Beatles will always be there to return to. 2007: Schwah's three-year-old daughters dance with daddy to Lovely Rita. And a reassessment prompted by the AM poll leads Schwah to re-confirm that this is a masterpiece... with a few songs that have not worn as well, but with multiple highs that reach higher than any popular music he has yet to hear.

Anthony: Lennon and McCartney’s visions, perfectly united and perfectly realized.

Loophole: I’m rating it on how it sounds to me now, not how important it might have been at the time. I never put this one on the turntable anymore.

jonmarck: The Beatles' last recordings are their best. They sound the cleanest, the arrangements are dead on and everyone actually sounds like they don't mind being in the same room with each other. In fact, Ringo hung around with the other three triple-tracked the vocals for "Because". Not because he had to. Just, because. Of course there are the few tacky moments. Ol' whiny McCartney forced his aimless "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" almost to the front of the playlist and "Carry that Weight" is suspiciously similar to "Hey Jude". But McCartney makes up for it with an incredible vocal performance on "Oh! Darling" and a humourous hidden ending with "Her Majesty". The other three Beatles are all in top form, with John and George each contributing two of their most memorable songs ("Come Together", "Something", "I Want You" and "Here Comes the Sun") and even Ringo wrote a tune that wasn't half bad ("Octopus's Garden"). The quartet were very aware that this would be their last so they made sure that everyone got a solo in "The End", marking the only drum solo in the Beatles catalogue. It couldn't have been a fonder goodbye.

nicolas: What I love the most with the Beatles is their ability to radically change their sound with each album, and to stay themselves all the while. The most cohesive effort to me, with the best album final I've never heard. They went out in style.

Honorio: “London Calling” is the perfect document of a jailbreak, of a band breaking the bars of the cage in which they confined themselves, of a punk-rock band realizing that they can make MUSIC in capital letter. They achieved a perfect balance between rehearsed and improvised, between conscious and spontaneous. Rude boys, freedom fighters on Spanish Civil War, Monty Clift, Jimmy Jazz, Stagger Lee. Ska, rockabilly, reggae, power-pop, hard rock, soul or even jazz, anything that could scare away the old punk fan base was good enough. But not losing the apocalyptic, combative, nihilistic and furious energy of punk.

schleuse: Everything that rock and roll should be: loud (mostly), aggressive, performed with abandon, unpolished, with a sense of history (in this case, rockabilly and reggae in particular). And it’s the only double album I know with no filler…nothing that you’d want to take out to make it tighter or more coherent. That it’s a very politically motivated record is necessary, but almost irrelevant to why this album is my top pick: the politics fuel the passion behind the music. Joe puts it better on “Clampdown” in the line “anger can be power.” The power of music has never been more artfully deployed than here. It’s amazing to realize that they were all completely baked while recording it.

jonmarck: On London Calling The Clash sounded like they could do anything. Never had the group sounded more confident than on the pounding ska/reggae rhythms of "The Right Profile", "Spanish Bombs", "Rudie Can't Fail", "Clampdown" and "Wrong 'Em Boyo". "Train in Vain" became the group's first single to hit top 30 in the US and the title track almost went top 10 in the UK. Numerous sources, including the band themselves, declared the Clash the only group that mattered. With this era-ending punk rock review it's hard to disagree.

Loophole: When I first heard this as a teenager, I listened to nothing else for two months. I still love it now as an old man. That’s saying something

nicolas: Another leap forward album. If this is punk, well ok I love punk, but punk's more an attitude, an era than a musical style, or maybe it's this strange and very influential mixing of rock, reggae, r&b that is revolutionary. Full of burning anthems like my favorite one "The Guns of Brixton". The Matrix for a great part of the music that came after.

Honorio: Brian Wilson left aside the glorification of Californian life, the beaches, cars and girls that characterized the thematic of Beach Boys till then. Wilson: “I was not trying to entertain people, I was expressing my feeling straight from the heart”. Now he talks about feelings, dreams (“Wouldn’t it Be Nice”), maladjustment (“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”), spiritual love (“God Only Knows”) or losing of innocence (“Caroline No”: “Where did your long hair go / Where is the girl I used to know / How could you lose that happy glow?”).

Neoptolemos: When Sgt. Pepper's was released Wilson reportedly cried himself to sleep for months. He shouldn't have. This record is so much more than Sgt Pepper's, and a deserving #1 on AM as the greatest album ever created.

nicolas: When I got this album, the first track that fascinated me was the unreleased rehersal when they sing a capella. Such a perfection set shivers down my spine. Then I discovered the rest of the album. Favorite tracks : Sloop John B and God Only Knows

DrDre: A music album, so pure and harmonious, that just makes you feel happy. Wouldn't it be nice? Brian Wilson's compositions really do come close.

Slush: This would be Robbie Williams greatest hits if compilations were allowed.

Honorio: A series of fortunate collisions generated this masterpiece: the collision between street-wise rock & roll of Lou Reed and classical background of John Cale, between inquisitive and intuitive musicians like Reed & Cale and Andy Warhol (the pop-art Pope at the time), between heroin and pushers urban stories and the decadent glamour of The Factory transvestites and starlets, between rock & roll and art.

Neoptolemos: "That famous banana-album", "That famous cover", "One the most influential bands of all time", "For every record sold a new band was founded", etc. etc. But all that doesn't really matter when you listen to this. Every song crafted perfectly and every time you hear it, it gets just a little bit better.

nicolas: When you try to strip it of all the hype and critic devotion, what is left of this album? A lot still: a string of brilliant songs, sometimes a bit messy, variety, noise, intensity and an arty touch. Perfect for a subway ride.

DrDre: Getting drunk, smoking pot, yes, those were the times at the university. What remains are the memories, revived when listening to this classic.

Moonbeam: Ultimately, a large part of the brilliance of this album is due to the careful balance which makes the album sound more like a veritable voyage than a mere collection of amazing songs.

Toni: After immerging in the effervescent cultural scene of the mid-60's, Beatles returned in 68 to make again a conventional rock album. Of course their sound wouldn't be the same of Rubber Soul. Here we have the fab's amount of songs in which guitars sound the loudest in their career. Also, this is their work with the biggest number of songs that would become classics. Much people say that this album would be even better if it had half of its size, but I think its the opposite. Much of what makes it brilliant is the eccleticism, the sense of experimentation, the low grade of pretension, and much of this is due to the majority of the tracks which probably wouldn't be in the album if it was a simple one. I agree it isn't perfect, but maybe that's the charm about it. Favorite tracks: Savoy Truffle, Dear Prudence, Piggies.

nicolas: The Beatles' attic : there's everything, it's the absolute anti-Sgt Pepper's. If it had been reduced to the first record, it could have made nb.1

Honorio: The “White Album” was the great leap forward for The Fab Four. In fact they went so far that planted the seeds of the band disintegration. Many songs were recorded without involvement of the other band members (“Mother Nature Son”, “Julia”, “Blackbird” or “Revolution 9”). But this individualism and dispersion miraculously not only was no dead weight but indeed it was a virtue. They applied the perfect and precise arrangement to every song without looking for cohesiveness. If a song needed clarinets (“Honey Pie”), distorted guitars (“Helter Skelter”), honky-tonk pianos (“Rocky Racoon”) or a full orchestra (“Good Night”) that was what the song got. All for the Song. And Song for all.

Neoptolemos: The definitive album to which I compare all other albums. It has the greatest album-opener and the greatest album-closer in music history, and a lot of truly fantastic songs in between. I could listen to this album from now until forever and never get bored.

Loophole: I have probably learned more from this record than any other.

schleuse: It starts with the most acclaimed song of all time and ends with my favorite Dylan song. And doesn’t take a wrong step, ever (something not true of Blonde on Blonde, which is bubbling somewhere under my top 100). What more do you want? I was leery of Bob for a long time, but it turned out I was only put off by all the ultra-earnest praise of him…part of his skill as the finest lyricist of the last century is that he knows how to deploy humor. The title track is probably the best example of goofiness here, but there’s a sly archness throughout the whole album, which nevertheless is always in service to a warm, generous vision (except maybe on “Like a Rolling Stone”). Exhibit A: The snarky but well-intentioned “Ballad of a Thin Man.”

Schwah: He wasn't the first to make "shambolic" a positive thing in rock, but he was the best at doing so.

jonmarck: Dylan continues in Bringing it all Back Home's ground-breaking style with a stronger emphasis on jagged blues and whacko writing. "Like A Rolling Stone" is Dylan's most uniting anthem (ironic, considering its cynicism), "Tombstone Blues" and the title track re-establish his love for nowhere poetry and loser heros, and "Desolation Row", at the time his longest song, is a heartfelt tribute to the same set of hooligans. This is when folkies started calling him Judas.

schleuse: The pinnacle of their career, when the tautness of their touring years as a four-piece was still in place; they stopped touring shortly after its release, and the resulting lack of coherence surely had something to do with some of the bloat and self-indulgence on their albums from Sgt. Pepper onward. But there’s no fat on this one—eight of Revolver’s fourteen songs are either ranked or bubbling under on AM’s song list…I haven’t checked, but I can’t imagine anything beats that (except the White Album, but that also contains way too much filler). Even “Yellow Submarine” doesn’t suck, as long as you take it for what it is (it happened to be the first Beatles song I heard as a kid). Here, the Beatles perfected their Dylan-influenced ideas about putting an LP together, and, for better and worse, rock has been an album-dominated genre ever since.

Honorio: The Fab Four expanded with “Revolver” its musical palette and doing this expanded their (our) minds. With adventurous but successful forays into classical music (“Eleanor Rigby”), Hindu music (“Love You To”) or avant-garde (“Tomorrow Never Knows”). They incorporated it to its own style (a horn solo as the one in “For No One” is now a Beatles-style solo) and, even more important, took it to massive audiences.

Mo: I guess The Beatles will be in everybody's list

nicolas: So much has been said about this album. My favorite songs ? Eleanor Rigby, Here, there and everywhere and Yellow Submarine. Among the Fab Four albums, it is the one that fits the best to these times.

Schwah: This album frequently flip-flops with Sgt. Pepper for me. It’s on a bit of a downswing at the moment… making it only the 5th greatest album of all time.

jonmarck: "She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" remain the most surreal songs in the Beatles catalogue while "And Your Bird Can Sing" is straightahead psychedelic rock 'n' roll.

DrDre: Where Rubber Soul is still the innocent, playful one, Sgt. Pepper's is more the adult, tripping psyche, full of new sonic experiments. Revolver is something in between and IMO the most influential and copied Beatles album. I wasn't born yet, but I can imagine Revolver and its time companion Pet Sounds have caused quite a shock by exploring new, unpathed ways in pop music.

Dr.Dre: What make this album so appreciated? Is it fun? Not really. Is it beauty? Sure, most tracks are even divine. But most of all it never gets boring, it's the musical composition that thrills. Each song tells you a story with a different sound spectrum. "Paranoid Android" is maybe the best example, with Yorke's voice and a bunch of instruments going through different moods. It just never gets boring.

jonmarck: Many albums are compelling, some are fascinating, few are possessing. Ok Computer didn't reflect the world, it created its own, and its familiarities were terrifying. Released at the dawn of the internet age, Thom Yorke's technological paranoia envisioned a spiritual wasteland of material excess and emotional isolation. Ok, so it's not the newest idea. Heck, that's what the Bends was! But what made Ok Computer so remarkable wasn't the function so much as the form. From the opening guitar/cello riff of "Airbag" Ok Computer announced something previously inexperienced; something created by humans but distinctly unnatural. This was the album where guitarist Johnny Greenwood, with Nigel Goodrich's technological support, emerged as the group's second creative force, turning his guitar into pixie dust for "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and a lawnmower for "Electioneering", which was released in the UK as a single to sarcastically commemorate Tony Blair's campaign for prime minister. In fact "Electioneering" was one of Ok Computer's only singles that the group did not have a hard time selecting. It's not like these sprawling landscapes would fit easily into a rock radio playlist. "Lucky" might have worked had it not already received a quite release in support of War Child. So might have "Let Down" had the video not been completely disowned by the band upon completion. Eventually, to Parlaphone's chagrin, "Paranoid Android" was chosen. They told Radiohead that giving radio a six and a half minute track split into three seemingly unrelated sections with no discernible chorus or hook was commercial suicide. The mildly pornographic animated video didn't help matters. As it turned out the worries were in vain as "Paranoid Android" debuted at #3 in the UK. "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" were equally successful, even charting respectably at North American radio stations. Critics compared the album to Achtung Baby and The Dark Side of the Moon, though, truth be told, it was far better. Radiohead saw the success as an opportunity to become even less conventional and Ok Computer became the launchpad to five multi-millionaire art-rock careers.

John: A modern masterpiece that only they have been able to replicate.

Honorio: The peak for both Radiohead and indie rock. Recorded in a Victorian mansion (formerly property of actress Jane Seymour) using the natural echoes of the different rooms, working with electronic textures, adding complex rhythmic-patterns and ever-changing song structures, evolving lyrically from teenage rage to adulthood resignation and expanding notably their music palette, Radiohead created an astonishing masterpiece that deals with modern world alienation with an impressive deepness.

Anthony:A contemporary classic, and after only 10 years it’s nearing entry into the exclusive “everything’s been said about it” club, to which a select group of revered albums belong. All I can add is this: as with anything that’s consistently deemed the “greatest” or the “best”, people are bound to ask “is it really that great?” In this case, the short answer, simply, is yes - OK Computer is a truly great album. As a sinister portrayal of a world consumed by (and at the mercy of) technology, it’s unmatched; as a ‘90s alt-rock album, it’s the pinnacle; as a dystopian musical statement, it’s the template. By the time the final seconds of “The Tourist” fade into silence, Yorke has - in just under 54 minutes - expertly conveyed a personal torment that few frontmen possess (and even fewer can articulate,) and has managed to instill in us his fear of airplanes, automobiles and everything else containing a motherboard. Q magazine called it "A 21st century classic, released three years early"; RS described it as "haunting and unforgettable"; I call it the apex of five talented musicians coming together and discarding convention, resulting in an era-defining landmark. Stunning on all levels – musicianship, songwriting, artistry, passion, concept, and achievement.

Schwah: One of my favorite authors on music is the New Yorker's classical music critic, Alex Ross. His profile and discussion of Radiohead from 2001 was great. His description of a live performance of Airbag is fabulous. You should all read it: http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html

nicolas: Thank you Acclaimed music. I had paid attention to it when it got out in '97, but not so much. I had completely forgotten this album, especially in my blues/country-only years. As any "new" album in my Pantheon, I am not really sure of its proper position in this top 100. See you back in 2008 or 2009?